1 Yet now hear, O Jacob My servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:
“Even though you have sinned, hear what I have to say.”
2 Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, My servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.
Jesurun is another name for the children of Israel.
The descendants of Jacob are the special people of God by His choosing.
3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring:
Israel, like the American West, is a desert place. Those of us who have lived here understand how important water is; it is symbolic of extreme blessings and refreshing.
In the New Testament when it says “It rains on the just and the unjust,” it isn’t saying that bad things happen to good people sometimes just like to bad people. It is actually saying that at some point God blesses everyone, like sending rain so you don’t die of famine.
4 And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.
It is amazing in the desert how one good rain storm can cause all the grasses and flowers to suddenly grow and bloom.
5 One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.
The Jews will be so blessed that everyone will want to claim to be a part of them.
Probably fulfilled post Babylon, but certainly through Christ.
6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God.
7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for Me, since I appointed the ancient people? And the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.
Who else could possibly do all this but the one and only God.
8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? Yea, there is no God; I know not any.
“Hey guess what? I, God, have never seen any other god. I’m all there is. You don’t need to go looking for someone else to help you.”
9 They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.
Those that worship other gods should be ashamed of themselves.
10 Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?
11 Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.
Everyone who has engaged in making and worshiping idols will be embarrassed about it when God shows His strength.
12 The smith with the tongs both works in the coals, and fashions it with hammers, and works it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength fails: he drinks no water, and is faint.
The metal workers who make idols will go hungry from lack of business.
13 The carpenter stretches out his rule; he marks it out with a line; he fits it with planes, and he marks it out with the compass, and makes it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.
14 He hews him down cedars, and takes the cypress and the oak, which he strengthens for himself among the trees of the forest: he plants an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.
15 Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindles it, and bakes bread; yea, he makes a god, and worships it; he makes it a graven image, and falls down thereto.
People use the SAME tree for firewood AND to make a “god" out of. That’s just stupid.
16 He burns part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eats flesh; he roasts roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warms himself, and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:”
17 And the residue thereof he makes a god, even his graven image: he falls down unto it, and worships it, and prays unto it, and says, “Deliver me; for thou art my god.”
How can something you use for fuel, something too weak to save itself from the saw and the fire, be called a “god?”
18 They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
Because God's people have chosen to turn their backs on Him, He has chosen to let them be stupid.
19 And none considers in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? Shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?”
They just can’t see how stupid this is.
20 He feeds on ashes: a deceived heart has turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
God allows the disobedient to refuse to see the truth.
21 Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art My servant: I have formed thee; thou art My servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of Me.
Even though they are so stupid, illogical, and disobedient, God still loves them.
22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee.
God chose to erase their sins.
23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord has done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel.
24 Thus says the Lord, thy redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that makes all things; that stretches forth the heavens alone; that spreads abroad the earth by Myself;
The Creator of the universe speaks.
25 That frustrates the tokens of the liars, and makes diviners mad; that turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish;
The One who punishes the evil.
26 That confirms the word of His servant, and performs the counsel of His messengers; that says to Jerusalem, "Thou shalt be inhabited;" and to the cities of Judah, "Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:"
God promises to restore His people.
27 That says to the deep, "Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:"
God controls the world.
28 That says of Cyrus, "He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure:" even saying to Jerusalem, “Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.”
Here God promises that Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, will tell the Jews to go back to Judea and rebuild the Temple of God.
The thing is, Cyrus won’t even be born yet for at least another 20 years, possibly more!
Persia is, at this point, even more of a nobody country than Babylon (though it’s possible Cyrus’ grandfather, Cyrus the First, is their king); certainly not a people for anyone to look to for salvation from their captors. Yet, God calls Cyrus BY NAME!